Fresh Air

In S.A. Cosby's novel All the Sinners Bleed, a Black sheriff in a Southern town is tracking down a serial killer who preys on Black children. The author spoke with producer Sam Briger about how the story was inspired by the George Floyd uprising, and his own feelings about his Southern identity. Also, critic Maureen Corrigan reflects on her childhood playing with Barbies.

"My early '70s New York is dingy and grimy," the Pulitzer Prize-winning author says. Whitehead's new sequel to Harlem Shuffle, Crook Manifesto, centers on crime at every level, from small-time crooks to Harlem's elite. Later, TV critic David Bianculli reviews two new books about TV.

Timothy Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the eight-part sequel, Justified: City Primeval, based on Elmore Leonard's novel. He also played Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood."We won't heal until we make sense of the crack epidemic," Donovan X. Ramsey says. His book, When Crack Was King, examines the drug's destructive path through the Black community.

We remember classical pianist André Watts, who died last week at the age of 77. He became famous overnight after performing with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16. Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is playing in her last Women's World Cup this month. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2020 for her memoir, One Life. Justin Chang reviews Barbie and Oppenheimer.

The entertainment industry is in upheaval. Streamers are reckoning with not being profitable, and writers and actors are on strike. Bloomberg reporter Lucas Shaw talks about what viewers can expect. Maureen Corrigan reviews two summer reads: Do Tell and The Stolen Coast.

In 2018, Delta airlines unveiled new uniforms made of a synthetic-blend fabric. Soon after, flight attendants began to get sick with rashes, hair loss, and brain fog. Alden Wicker explains how toxic chemicals get in clothes in To Dye For. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly unearthed recording from tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan.

Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the eight-part sequel, Justified: City Primeval, based on Elmore Leonard's novel. He also played Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood.

Science writer Emily Monosson says fungi and fungus-like pathogens are the most devastating disease agents on the planet, causing the extinction or near extinction of species of trees, bananas, bats, frogs and more. We also talk about life threatening fungal infections that affect the immunocompromised. Her book is Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic. Also, David Bianculli reviews the reboot of FX's Justified. Ken Tucker reviews two music books: Robert McCormick's Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey and Robert Mugge's Notes from the Road: A Filmmaker's Journey Through American Music.

Terry Gross interviews co-host Tonya Mosley about her life and work, and how they intersect in the current season of her podcast Truth Be Told. It focuses on the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms to heal racial trauma. Later, Tonya talks about how rising temperatures and extreme heat will change our lives. Her guest is Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on A Scorched Planet. Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Joy Ride.

"My father was not a good person, but he was a great character," Sedaris says. The humorist writes about his efforts to make peace with his memories of his late father in Happy-Go-Lucky. (Originally broadcast May 2022)Also, Justin Chang reviews Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.

"We won't heal until we make sense of the crack epidemic," Donovan X. Ramsey says. His book, When Crack Was King, examines the drug's destructive path through the Black community.

Author Jeff Goodell warns a new climate regime is coming: "We don't really know what we're heading into and how chaotic this can get." His new book is The Heat Will Kill You First.Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the memoir Through the Groves by Anne Hull.

Terry Gross interviews new Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley about growing up in Detroit, her career in news, and healing racial trauma with psychedelics.

In his documentary The League, Sam Pollard tells the story of the Negro National League: "They brought a different kind of style ... a kind of baseball which Major League Baseball is trying to bring back." Also, Kevin Whitehead reflects on box set of Charles Mingus.

Alicia Roth Weigel is one of three activists profiled in Julie Cohen's new documentary, Every Body. She says intersex is an umbrella term for people whose "anatomy doesn't fit super neatly into a binary box." Artificial intelligence experts recently signed an open letter warning that AI could destroy humanity. New York Times technology reporter Cade Metz explains why we are at a turning point with this technology.

Actor Alan Arkin, who died June 29, got his start creating comic characters with the comedy troupe Second City and later won an Oscar for his role in Little Miss Sunshine. He spoke with Fresh Air in 1989. Also, we listen back to our interview with Ringo Starr on the occasion of his 83rd birthday. The Beatle told Terry Gross that he made his first drum kit out of "biscuit tins and firewood." Justin Chang reviews the comedy Joy Ride.

New York Times legal reporter Adam Liptak says the Supreme Court's liberal members have accused the conservative supermajority of engaging in politics and not applying established law to the questions before them. We'll talk about how the Court ended affirmative action in college admissions, limited the rights of gay people, and ended the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program, as well as the major ethical questions have been raised about several conservative justices.

Alicia Roth Weigel is one of three activists profiled in Julie Cohen's new documentary, Every Body. She says intersex is an umbrella term for people whose "anatomy doesn't fit super neatly into a binary box."

Monáe is known for her Afro-futurist funk, soul and hip hop sound. She's been nominated for 8 Grammys, and last month she released her 4th album, The Age of Pleasure, where she explores lusty romance and both masculine and feminine energies. Recently Monáe came out as non-binary, using she/they pronouns. In addition to her music, she's also forged a successful career in movies, co-starring in films like Knives Out: Glass Onion, Hidden Figures and Moonlight. In 2020 Monáe spoke with Terry Gross about how she grew up wanting to be on Broadway, her life as a Black queer artist, and working with Prince.

We go into our archive to feature our 2005 interview with Neil Diamond. The new Broadway show A Beautiful Noise is based on his life and features his songs. Some of his most famous songs include Sweet Caroline, Solitary Man, and Girl, You'll be A Woman Soon. We'll also remember two-time Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson, who died June 15th. She was 87. Terry Gross spoke with her in 2019 when she was starring on Broadway in a production of King Lear, as Lear. Jackson also served in British Parliament for over two decades.